Safety hanger or display device



June 4, 1929. A. TIMMONS SAFETY HANGER OR DISPLAY DEVICE Filed May 24,1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 amounted, 5 Timmy:

June 4, 1929. A. TIMMONS v SAFETY HANGER OR DISPLAY DEVICE Filed May 24,1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 9 manic o a9. Tim/110m? Patented June 4-, 1929.

UMTED stares ARCHIE TIMMONS, OF ORAJlTG-E, TEXAS.

SAFETY HANGER OR DISPLAY DEVICE.

Application filed May 24,

This invention relates to a device adapted to display various articlespertaining to the dry-goods business and in fact, merchandise ingeneral.

It is aimed to provide a novel constructlon of hanger which displays themerchandise so that it cannot be removed without the aid of a specialkey from the rack or supporting element and which cannot be operated torelease the merchandise until such key is subsequently unlocked orremoved under control of an employee or authorlzed person.

The more specific objects and advantages will be pointed out or becomeapparent from the description following taken in connection withaccompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the lnvention with akey in place to be operated to release the hanger from its support,

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the device of Figure 1 with the supportshown in section and the key removed,

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 3,

2 Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 2,

Figure 6 is a detail of the key, be ng shown principally in plan and itscap being shown in horizontal section,

Figure 7 is an end elevation of looking from the left in Figure 6,

Figure 8 is an end elevation of the cap looking from the right in Figure6, and

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 99 of Figure 6.

In carrying out the invention, two substantially similar metallic plates10 and 11 are provided which are pivotally connected together forrelative movement on a horizontal axis by a rivet or the like as at 11.At the upper ends, said plates 10 and 11 are provided with hooks 12adapted to engage part of a rack, or other suitable supportconventionally shown at 13 to hang therefrom.

The lower end of the plate 10 is provided with a pocket shaped jaw 14rigid therewith and it has extensions or lugs 15 to which a coactingpocket shaped jaw 16 is pivoted as at 17. The jaws 14 and'16 are adaptedto grip an article of merchandisebetween them and hold it until releasedthrough operation of the device by a suitable key in the hands the key1928. Serial No. 280,367.

of an authorized person. Auxiliary sliding aws 18 are preferablyprovided'in each jaw 14 and '16, having serrated faces at 19 to dlrectlyengage the merchandise and which jaws are adapted to slide downwardly tobring the faces 19 closer together and in intimate relation with themerchandise.

The auxiliary jaws 18 are, held in place and their movement permitted byreason of the provision of set screws 20 fastened to the auxiliary jawsand passing through vertically elongated slots 21 in the jaws 14 and 16.

The jaws 14 and 16 are normally held in tight and clampingrelationthrough the engagement of lugs or cams 22 and 23, provided on anupwardextension 24 of the jaw 16 and adjacent the lower end of the plate 11,respectively. 7

In order to release the movable jaw 16 for movement on the'pivot 17 awayfrom the jaw 14 to receive or release the merchandise, it is necessarythat plate 11 be swung on the horizontal axis afforded by rivet 11solthat the lug 23 will disengage the lug 22 in order to permit such'movement. The plates 10 and 11 are normally held locked against suchrelative movement by means of a latch 25 which is pivoted at 26' to theplate 10 and has a hook 27 normally in engagement with a lug 28 on theplate 11. The latch is urged to such position, as specifically shown-inFigure 4, by a bowed spring 29 fastened to the plate 10 as at 30fand atits opposite end resting on a lug 31 also fastenedto plate 10. Theplates 10 and 11 have openings 32 and 33 therethrough, respectively,which in the locked positions of the plates 10 and 11, are slightlydisalined as shown particularly in Figure 2. Such openings haveenlargements or notches 34 at their lower portions which are bridged bythe aforesaid latch 25 as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4. p in A key 35 isused to operate the device and may consist of a rod 36 having a taperedend fly but the rod 36 fills the openings 32 and 33 and the key cannotbe removed because a cap 39 is locked thereon and will abut the plate10. Such cap consists generally of a hollow body into which the outerend of the key extends so that resilient fingers 40 at enlargement 41will snap into a groove 42 provided about the key 35. The fingers 40 aretensioned to move toward each other.

The other end of the cap 39 as shown in Figures 6 and 8 has a key holev43 therethrough through which a key or element may be inserted in orderto spread the fingers 40 and thereby release the key 36 which may thenbe completely withdrawn from the openings 32 and 33 so. that the plate11 may be swung relatively to the plate 10, sufliciently to disengagethe lugs 22 and 23 whereupon the article of merchandise may be removed.

By reason of the invention, the goods, particularly expensive articles,may be supported or suspended. each by a lock or hanger according to thepresent invention. WVhen a purchaser wishes to purchase the article, hewill, by means of the key 35, which is arranged close to the lock,insert the same so as to detach the hanger "from the support, and thushe will carry the artiele with the hanger and key attached to a clerk orauthorized person who Will by means of a key inserted through the keyhole l3, detach cap 39 so that the key may be removed and the articlereleased. The device prevents liability of stealth of the goods becausethe'same cannot be folded into as compact form. Also, if desired, thekeys 35 may be in the custody of an authorized person, to supply to apurchaser upon request only. In this way, the keys may be traced and theentire system and transaction be und-er complete surveillance.

Various changes may be resorted to provided they fall within the spiritand scope of the invention.

1 claim as my invention: J

l. A device of the class described having plates, means thereon toengage a support, means connecting the plates for relative movement,said plates in their engaged position having openings in disa'linement,means to hold the plates in engaged positions, a key insertable intosaid openings to release said holding means and permit relative movementof the plates to disengage them from the support, said key preventingmovement of the plates sufliciently to release it held article duringthe presence of the key in said openings.

2. A device of the class described having plates, means thereon toengage a support, means connecting the plates for relative movement,said plates in their engaged position having openings in disalinement,means .to hold the plates in engaged positions, a

key insertable into said openings to release said holding means andpermit relative movement of the plates to disengage them from thesupport, said key preventing movement of the plates sufliciently torelease a hold article during the presence of the key in said openings,said holding meansbeing rendered inactive through engagement of theplates with the support- 3. A device of the class described havingplates, means thereon to engage a support, means connecting the platesfor relative movement, said plates in their engaged position havingopenings in disalinement, means to hold the plates in engaged positions,a key insertable into said openings to release said holding means andpermit relative movement of the plates to disengage them from thesupport, said key preventing movement of the plates sufiiciently torelease a held article during the presence of the key in said openings,and a releasable cap car ried by said key and preventing normaldetachment of the key from the lock.

4:. A device of the class described having plates, means thereon toengage a support, means connecting the plates for relative movement,said plates in their engaged position having openings in disalinement,means to hold the plates in engaged positions, a key insertable intosaid openings to release said holdingmeans and permit relative movementof the plates to disengage them from the support, said key preventingmovement of the plates sufficiently to release a held article during thepresence of the key in said openings, a releasable cap carried by saidkey and preventing normal detachment of the key from the lock, said caphaving resilient fingers, the key having a groove entered by saidfingers, and said cap having a slot accommodating an instrument toseparate said fingers to release the key.

I 5. A device of the class described having plates, means thereon toengage a support, means connecting the plates for relative movement,said plates in their engaged position having openings in disalinement,means to hold the plates in engaged positions, a key insertable intosaid openings to release said holding means and permit relative movementof the plates to disengage them from the support, said key preventingmovement of the plates sufiiciently to release a held article during thepresence of the key in said openings, a j aw carried by one of theplates, a jaw pivoted to the first mentioned jaw, engaging lugs betweenthe pivoted jaw and the other plate preventing movement of the pivotedjaw when the plates are locked, said lugs being adapted to disengagethrough relative movement of the plates after removal of the key.

6. A device of the class described comprising a plurality of pivotallyconnected plates, said plates having hooks to engage a support, saidplates having openings therethrough disalined in their engaged position,

means normally securing the plates in engaged position, and meansoperable to aline .said openings to release said books from the 15support and to render said latching means inoperative untll the devlce1s reset, said means serving to prevent sufiicient move-- ARCHIE TIMMONS.

